There is one ICC tournament that South Africa approach with excitement rather than a sense of trepidation: the Champions Trophy. It is the one global competition they have actually won. They were the inaugural victors in 1998 and even though it does not, in the words of Daryll Cullinan, "carry the same prestige" as a World Cup, it's a triumph they take great pride in.
The squad that travelled to Dhaka to compete in theWills International Cup was still relatively new to international cricket - South Africa had only been readmitted seven years before then - so every experience was considered a step in their growth. But they were not just toddlers stumbling in the dark. They had begun to take confident strides and their triumph in 1998 was proof of that.
"We were at our peak then. There's no doubt we were the best team at that competition," Cullinan said. A combination of meticulous planning, a sustained build-up of positive results, controlling aspects of their game such as fitness and having sufficient depth to allow for injury losses - all contributed to South Africa's major tournament glory.
From the outset, they were favourites to win the event, as the numbers clearly illustrated. Even though South Africa had not played as many matches as some of their opponents in the 30-month period between the end of the 1996 World Cup and the beginning of the 1998 tournament, they had the best record over that time.
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